“We just want to know one thing,” said Zack. “Where is Luther Cross?”
Celeste balked at the request. “What makes you think I know anything about Cross?”
Only a few select individuals knew that Luther and Celeste were involved. It was known how they met and that Celeste and Luther sometimes worked together. But knowledge of them being intimate with each other, that posed a risk to both their professions. So for a pack of lycans to know meant that either the secret was out, or their employer was someone who knew far more than they should.
“We know you’re the one who knows where to find him,” said Zack. “You give us a location, you walk out of here right now.”
“I don’t know shit, fleabag,” said Celeste. “Luther’s a professional associate, nothing more. All I know is he lives in Gold Coast. Why don’t you mutts go there and start sniffing him out?”
“Seems you wanna do this the hard way,” said Zack. Celeste noticed the shape of his face beginning to change and saw the beard become thicker, his eyes taking on a yellowish hue. “We can arrange that.”
Celeste looked at the two by the door. They were also in the midst of their transformations into werewolves. She growled, her vampiric fangs descending and her nails extending into claws.
One of the guards charged. Celeste kicked the chair with all the strength she could manage. He crashed into it and fell to the ground. His partner hopped on the chair and then sprung off it, flying towards her. Celeste readied herself, and when he descended upon her, she used his momentum and size against him, flipping him over her head and into the large TV set.
Celeste turned to the one she’d hit with the chair. He was on his feet again, and he hurled the chair at her. She ducked, and the chair struck the window, the glass shattering from the impact. When Celeste looked at him again, he charged into her, pushing her to the edge of the window and grabbing her by the throat. He held her dangling outside the window. The Hyatt Regency was over three hundred and fifty feet tall and they were on the top floor. Even though she was a vampire and would probably survive such a fall, she’d also end up breaking every bone in her body.
“Cross! Where is he?”
One chance, though it was a risk. Celeste grabbed the lycan’s arm and sunk her fangs into it. The werewolf growled and released his grip on her neck. Celeste kept a grip on his arm with her jaw and sunk her claws into his flesh to maintain a hold. The lycan tried to shake her off, slamming her against the side of the hotel, but she wouldn’t release her grip.
Celeste swung her legs, using his arm like a rope. She managed to flip back through the window and released her grip on him. Once she landed in a crouch, she wiped the blood from her lips and then spat.
“Sorry,” she said. “Hairball.”
The lycan growled and charged her again. Celeste stood upright and delivered a roundhouse kick that threw him out the open window, his screams fading as he fell, and then coming to a sudden stop. Celeste heard a crash from below, followed by the sound of a car alarm.
She circled around the fireplace, staring at Zack and his remaining pack mate. They’d both transformed as well, the bartender crouched on the counter and snarling as he stared at her. Celeste sized them both up, watching for any sudden movements.
“You could’ve made this easy on yourself,” said Zack.
She scoffed. “Are you joking? Did you not just see what I did to your puppies?”
“You’ll find we’re a bit fiercer,” said Zack. “Jacob, do your thing.”
The bartender hopped from the counter and landed between Zack and Celeste. The vampire just raised her eyebrow at him. “A werewolf named Jacob?” she asked. “Ever consider changing your name?”
Jacob growled and pounced. Celeste met his descent with an upward swipe of her claws, tearing through his suit and drawing blood. He fell on the ground and quickly got up, holding a hand to the wounds on his chest. Celeste rushed him, kicking his head. He recoiled. She grabbed him by the leg and pulled with all her strength, throwing him into the fireplace.
The lycan’s fur caught fire quickly and he screamed as he pulled away, trying to get the flames put out. The smoke alarm went off, and Zack just shook his head as he watched his beta writhe in the flames.
“Looks like it’s just you and me,” said Celeste. “You ready to finish this?”
Zack growled and moved into a fighting stance. Celeste mirrored his movements, the two of them circling each other, waiting for the right moment to strike. But before the first attack could be made, a bright light filled the room, causing them both to recoil and shield their eyes.
Celeste stood upright, lowering her arm from her eyes as the light slowly started to dim, coalescing into a form. Wings made of light unfurled and shrunk into the back of a man dressed in white with platinum-blond hair and bright, blue eyes.
“W-What the fuck?” asked Zack.
“I think we’ve heard enough from you for the time being,” said the angel.
“Is that so? Lemme show you what I think of that!”
Zack charged, but the angel just sighed and held up his hand. Zack’s movements slowed, until he was frozen in mid-air. The angel stepped right up to him, then touched two fingers to his lips.
“Shh,” he whispered, moving those two fingers to Zack’s forehead. As soon as he touched the lycan, Zack collapsed to the ground, unconscious. The angel looked at Jacob’s burning body and held up his hand. With a snap of his fingers, the flames extinguished.
“Not that I don’t appreciate the assist,” said Celeste, “but why would an angel come to my rescue?”
“Because we have a mutual friend, Ms. King,” said the angel. “My name is Raziel. And we have a lot to discuss."
13
I hit the water hard, the force of the tumble over the falls sending me right down to the bottom. With the waterfall pouring on us from above, it was hard to see anything beneath the surface. I kicked my legs, breaking through the surface and sucking air into my lungs. Next to me, Tessa’s head emerged from the water.
“You okay?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, I think so. More shaken up than anything else.”
I looked around and saw that we were in a giant pond within a chamber of the cave. The rocks were dark, almost black. I tried to find the rest of our party, but couldn’t see anyone. And then, Asmodeus’ head rose from the water, his long hair plastered over his face. He lifted the hair, throwing it back over his head, and spat out water.
“I’m beginning to regret my decision to come along on this journey,” he said.
“You an’ me both,” I said.
“Hey!”
We turned to the sound of the voice and saw Cain standing nearby onshore. He waved for us to join him. I started swimming towards land, and Tessa kept pace beside me, while Asmodeus trailed behind. I stepped onto land, glad to have solid ground beneath my feet once again.
“Everyone okay?” asked Cain once we’d all gathered together.
“Seems so,” I said.
“No, not all of us,” said Tessa, looking back at the water.
I did a quick headcount and realized she was right. We were short one man. “Where’s Charon? And the boat?”
“Don’t worry, he’s fine—so is his boat,” said Cain. “This was the drop-off point.”
“Didn’t figure it’d be so literal,” I said.
Cain chuckled and turned, taking point for the group. The rest of us followed him. I held the knife in my hand just in case it would be needed. He led us up a small incline, moving towards a boulder. Standing on one side of it, Cain started to push, but the boulder didn’t seem to have any intention of moving.
“Mind givin’ me a hand with this?” he asked.
I took off my wet coat and jacket, handing them to Tessa. She scoffed, but accepted them. Standing next to Cain, I put my hands in position on the boulder and we both started to push. It still wouldn’t give, not at first anyway. But after a few more tries, the boulder moved j
ust a little bit, enough to reveal a darkened hole in the rocky wall.
Cain pointed at it. “Through there, we’ll find ourselves in Purgatory. But first, I gotta ask—you absolutely certain you wanna go through with this?”
“We don’t have much of a choice,” I said. “It’s only a matter of time before that angel finds someone else like Luxton, willing to work for him.”
“Then you gotta know something.” He pointed at me and then Tessa. “You two, you’re human. Or…part. The things in Purgatory, what they want more than anything is to get the hell out. They’ll be able to sense that you ain’t dead. And they’ll come after you, thinking you can lead them to the exit.”
“Why would they even think that?” asked Tessa.
“Because it’s the truth,” said Cain. “Purgatory doesn’t take kindly to the living bein’ here. It’s gonna want you out. The trick is, stay one step ahead and get what you came for before you get bounced. That spell Charon cast on you both should help with that.”
“Just one question left,” I said. “How do we find Luxton?”
“That’s where I come in.” Cain held out his arm. “Give me your hand.”
I gripped his hand in my own. Cain squeezed my hand. I couldn’t move my hand even if I’d wanted to. And as I looked at him, I saw his eyes glowing bright green. While I looked into his eyes, it felt like something was slithering through my head. I wanted to look away, but couldn’t.
And then, Cain released my hand. I shook it to get the feeling back, looking up at Cain as he approached the hole.
“You okay?” asked Tessa, stepping beside me and looking at my hand.
“I guess,” I said. “What the hell was that?”
“You’ve got a connection with this Luxton fella. I needed to latch on to that if I’m gonna track him,” said Cain. “Think of it like a bloodhound catching a scent.”
Tessa handed me back my jacket first, and I put it on, followed by my trench coat. They were still pretty wet, but they’d gotten a bit drier. If I’d known there were gonna be water sports, I’d have brought a wetsuit instead. Walking around in a wet suit wasn’t my idea of a good time.
“Come on in.” Cain stepped through the hole first, and Tessa and I followed. Asmodeus maintained the rear of the group.
It was pitch-black. Asmodeus and I could both see in the dark, and I assumed Cain shared that trait. Tessa was another story, though. I held out my open palm and whispered, “Lux.” A small orb of light generated above my hand and flew off, hovering just in front of Tessa and providing enough illumination so she could at least see a few feet in front of her.
We were in a tunnel, and it felt like it went on forever. Far in the distance, I couldn’t even see an exit, and wondered if Cain really knew where we were going. I cast a glance over my shoulder at Asmodeus. The demon had been uncharacteristically quiet for a while now, and that unnerved me. Made me wonder if he was up to something. He’d planned for Raziel to be forced to stay behind. I didn’t know what else Asmodeus was plotting but felt, for now, it was best to just keep an eye on him and try and figure out his game.
I looked at the surface of the tunnel and saw the stone begin to give way to metal. The tunnel’s overall shape became smoother, like we were walking through an actual tube. And then we came to a dead end, nowhere further to go.
“What now?” I asked. “Do we slam Asmodeus’ head against the wall and see if it breaks?”
“Ah, Luther, ever the comedian,” said Asmodeus.
“Now, we go up,” said Cain, pointing to the ceiling.
I looked up and saw that, high above us, there was an access point. But it was a good ten feet or so above us with no latter or rope or anything to get us up there.
“I’ve got some telekinesis, but not powerful enough to lift all of us that high,” I said.
“You forget yourself, Luther,” said Asmodeus. “I’m a fallen angel, after all.”
Seeping darkness emerged from Asmodeus’ back, taking the form of demonic, bat-like wings. They carried Asmodeus up to the top of the tunnel and he pushed up on the cover with both hands. I imagined it must be hard to lift something up when you had nothing to brace your feet against. His wings provided force pushing him up, and the cover gave.
Asmodeus gripped the open hole and pulled himself through, his wings retracting as he did. He stuck his hand back in the hole, and red hellfire appeared in his palm, snaking its way down into the tunnel. It took shape, splitting into two halves with rungs forming between them, becoming a ladder.
“Neat trick,” said Tessa, holding her hand over the hellfire ladder. “Is it—?”
“It’s safe,” I said. “Might feel a bit cold, but it’s safe.”
“Cold? Really?” Tessa reached a hand out and gently touched the ladder. She instantly retracted it. “Damn, you weren’t kidding! It looks like it’s on fire, but it feels like ice.”
“Hurry up, darlin’,” said Cain. “We don’t wanna stay in one place too long.”
Tessa nodded and started climbing up the ladder. Once she reached the halfway mark, I followed her up. I climbed out the hole, and a short while after, Cain came up last. Asmodeus drew the hellfire back into his body and then replaced the cover.
“So, this is Purgatory,” I said as I looked around. It wasn’t what I had expected. You hear Purgatory, you think jagged mountains or a vast wasteland. What you don’t think is post-apocalyptic city, but that’s exactly what it was.
We stood on a street lined with cracks and potholes. Street signs, lamp posts, and traffic lights were twisted, mangled, or lying in the center of the street. Buildings surrounded each side of the street. Windows were shattered, doors were boarded up, some of the buildings were even missing chunks. A reddish overcast filled the sky above and a persistent chill ran through the air.
“This is Purgatory?” asked Tessa. “Why does it look like something out of Fallout?”
“Purgatory’s appearance changes over time, based on the collective thoughts of the prisoners,” said Asmodeus.
“Just remember to watch your backs out here,” said Cain. “Purgatory’s basically a giant prison. But it’s one with no guards, no cells, and no rules. And the inmates get restless servin’ their sentences.”
“How long are they?” asked Tessa. “The sentences, I mean.”
“There are no set sentences,” said Asmodeus. “It depends on the soul imprisoned. Some may only be here for a few short years. But others, they may stay for centuries. And in the process, they become only more twisted.”
“Kind of like how Hell turns human souls into demons?” I asked.
“Worse,” said Asmodeus.
“What’s worse than being a demon?” asked Tessa. Seemed she quickly realized who she was talking to and added, “I mean…obviously there are worse things than being a demon…”
Asmodeus stared at her for a few moments. I instinctively moved closer to Tessa, my hand tightening around the dagger’s hilt. If he was going to try anything, I’d make sure to stand in his way. But then, Asmodeus just chuckled.
“No offense taken, my dear,” he said. “You see, Hell burns away your humanity. Transforms you into something else. You end up losing everything you once were. But in Purgatory, the entire point is to come to terms with your sins. In other words—”
“You never forget,” said Tessa.
“Precisely,” said Asmodeus. “And here, it weighs on you even greater. Some can never come to terms with the things they’ve done, with who they are, and so they remain trapped here, waiting for release.”
“You should write children’s stories,” I said. “So, where we off to, Cain?”
Cain’s eyes glowed as he raised his hand, slowly moving it from side to side. “I’m picking up some faint traces of our man. Come on, this way.”
He started off down the street and we followed. Cain was our bloodhound and Asmodeus followed behind, walking leisurely with his cane. But Tessa and I stayed beside each other. I kept my dagge
r low and out of sight, but ready to use at a moment’s notice. I glanced down at Tessa’s hands and saw her fingers tensing and moving, preparing them in case she needed to whip up a quick spell.
Already, I could feel the effects of Purgatory on me. The sense of dread that had built up inside me was greater it had ever been before. The demon inside was clawing at the walls. He wanted out, screamed at me to let him take control and get us both out of this.
I paused, holding my hand against one of the buildings to brace myself as I tried to keep him down. A hand on my shoulder and I nearly growled, my head jerking to see who it was. Once I saw Tessa’s face, it calmed me a little.
“What is it?” she asked. “What’s with the light show?”
“Light show?”
She pointed to her eyes. Guess they were glowing more than usual. Which meant my power was strong down here. Or even worse, that the demon was getting stronger in this place. I gave Tessa a reassuring smile. “I’m fine.”
“You sure?”
“Nothing to worry about. You go on ahead, I’ll be along.”
“Okay…” Tessa turned away and ran to catch up to Cain.
“You are playing with fire, my friend.”
I looked up as Asmodeus approached me. “Dunno what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t play games with me, Luther,” he said. “I know what’s inside you and I know what Purgatory is doing to it. Now do you understand why Celeste couldn’t come, too? It’s going to be difficult enough controlling you.”
“How come it’s not affecting you?” I asked.
“Because I’m an archdemon and a Hell Lord. I have far more control over my urges than you can imagine,” said Asmodeus. “But you…if you aren’t careful—”
“It won’t come to that,” I snapped. “I can control it. You worry about living up to your end of the bargain and watch our backs.”
Asmodeus snickered. “Mr. Cross, if I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you were suspicious of me.”
I didn’t answer him, just stood upright and trailed after Tessa. And now, I was starting to wonder—if the demon in me reacted like this to Purgatory, getting stronger down here, could that be why Asmodeus really wanted me along? Was he just trying to get me to give in to my demonic heritage?
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